SD ECCS August 2023 Update
August 2023 SD Early Childhood Comprehensive System Update
Join the Statewide Efforts to Ensure and Strong Start for Children
The SD Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) grant is 5-year federal grant from HRSA held for South Dakota by the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM) at the USD School of Health Sciences. CPCM is working with several state and community agencies on this grant that aims to increase collaboration and effectiveness of state and community-level systems serving families and young children, especially those up to 3 years-old.
Together, we can ensure a stronger start for South Dakota’s children, and, by doing so, decrease risk factors for ACEs and increase protective factors that contribute to child-wellbeing and safety. Learn more and sign up for updates at SDCPCM.com/ECCS
SD ECCS Bright Lights Series
The SD ECCS Bright Lights Series will begin this fall and we’re looking for innovative collaborations to highlight. This ongoing video series will showcase the successes and outcomes achieved through collaborative, cross-sector or agency efforts designed to ensure a strong start for children. These short interviews and presentations will be pre-recorded and made available on the SD ECCS project page. Click here to learn more and to submit your collaborative effort to be featured in this series.
WIC CIAO Outreach Continues
As one of 36 national WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project subrecipients, CPCM is coordinating community outreach events, trainings for professionals working with young children, and research to learn from families what might increase their participation and redemption of WIC benefits. Connecting parents to concrete resources can help ensure a strong start for children and increase overall family functioning.
Learn more at https://sdcpcm.com/wic
Outreach opportunities:
Aug 14 at St. Lambert’s School
Aug 17 at Hayward Park
Aug 19 at Celebrating Families
Oct 7 at Sioux Empire Smiles
Oct 7 at Feria de Salud
Training opportunity:
Aug 31 Poverty Simulation Experience
Family voices needed:
We are inviting WIC-eligible families in the Sioux Falls area to provide input about SD WIC. Please forward the invite to participate in online surveys and focus group discussions to families you work with. WIC-eligible families are asked to complete a short form expressing their preferred feedback tool and contact preference and from there will receive communication from a USD representative directing them to an online survey tool and/or focus group opportunities.
Visit https://sdcpcm.com/wic-voice-matters for more information.
External Opportunities for Shared Learning
Cross Sites 2023
39% of South Dakota’s victims of maltreatment in 2021 were 0-3 years old. If you would like to deepen your knowledge about the latest innovative practices and research about infant-toddler courts, this training opportunity is for you. This final session, of a 4-part series, is free and intended for all child welfare professionals, including judges, attorneys, community coordinators, statewide coordinators, mental health clinicians, parent leaders, advocates and more.
Aug. 11 from 11-12 CST: A Conversation with Sixto Cancel: The Importance of Maintaining Familial Relationships
National Head Start Association: How Child Welfare and Early Head Start Can Work Together to Better Serve Families.
This workshop will highlight opportunities for Early Head Start and child welfare organizations to better collaborate at the local level on behalf of children and families. Discussion points will include: supporting kinship families; babies with exposure to drug and alcohol abuse; the intersection of poverty, neglect and child welfare involvement; economic support for families; workforce issues and more.
Aug 16: Early Head Start Webinar
Zero to Three Learn Conference
Human beings learn through experience and interaction. It’s true for infants and toddlers, and it’s true for us. We can’t teach if we don’t learn. We can’t care for others unless we’re cared for. And we can’t do any of these things alone. The 2023 Zero to Three Conference will be held in Minneapolis, MN. Early Bird registration deadline is August 9.
Sept 19-20: Zero to Three Learn Conference
National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit
Join more than 5,000 state lawmakers and advocates, researchers, and practitioners for a virtual event to hear which states did the most to help young children and their families thrive in 2023, and to learn about the newest research informing prenatal-to-3 evidence-based policymaking.
Oct 12: Prenatal-to-3 Summit
Share your news!
If you are working collaboratively across sectors to ensure a strong start for South Dakota’s children, especially prenatally up to age 3yo, please send your updates to [email protected]. We’d love to learn more and help raise awareness of your efforts and successes.
